The Minister of National Defence Mr Nikolaos Panagiotopoulos declared today, Wednesday 14 December 2022, the commencement of proceedings of the 1st Sea Power Conference, which is hosted by the Hellenic Navy General Staff and takes place at the Eugenides Foundation.
The Deputy Minister of Shipping and Island Policy, responsible for ships issues Mr Konstantinos Katsafados, the Chief of HNDGS General Konstantinos Floros, the Chief of HNGS Vice Admiral Stylianos Petrakis and the Chief of the Hellenic Port Authority-Coastguard Vice Admiral Georgios Alexandrakis gave addresses.
Other attendants were MPs, members of the Armed Forces, retired officers and former Ministers, as well as representatives of bodies of the Mercantile Marine.
During his speech, the Minister noted:
“Ladies and gentlemen,
Of course, I don’t feel that I am in a position to particularly enlighten this esteemed and specialised audience regarding sea power, allow me, however, to say a few words and of course express my joy for being here today in the premises of the Eugenides Foundation, on the occasion of the hosting of the 1st Sea Power Conference.
There once was an officer of the US Navy, Alfred Thayer Mahan, the father of the US Naval Academy, geostrategist and historian, and of course a member of the Navy, a sailor himself, who claimed that the sea power constitutes the military power of a State at sea, which is expressed through its war fleet and World History has proven that Sea Power is the key for domination, either at a global or at a regional and local level.
The British Empire, Spain, the Netherlands and of course the USA, are characteristic examples. “Rule Britannia, rule the waves” wrote the poet in the 18th century, at the apogee of Great Britain’s sea domination and you have to pay attention to the words. He did not call for a rule over the territory or over the imperial domain, the colonies etc. Thomson wrote that Britain had to rule the waves and apparently, according to that rationale, the sea power absolutely implies geopolitical power.
I believe that the most extreme example of projection of geopolitical power through sea power in our days is the aircraft carrier. The aircraft carrier is not defined as a platform where a force like China can conduct exercises or aero-naval operations. It is basically defined as the means for projection of power. The countries that have carriers are of course considered capable of projecting power, through them, to a wider geopolitical environment.
Of course, here in Greece, we have our own aircraft carriers. They may be static but they are also unsinkable and that way they are able to project our own domestic power, at least at the wider sea environment, of course at the Aegean but also more widely, at the Eastern Mediterranean. And of course the great sea battles of History, as you very well know ladies and gentlemen, were events which marked the further course of affairs at the level of force correlation, either through the domination of a great force (the one which was victorious in the great sea battle), or through the retreat (and of course at a geopolitical level) of another, the one who was defeated.
Salamis marked the end of the evil Persian intentions, in Antiquity, and perhaps the origin of the Athenian domination at sea.
Lepanto marked the end of the Ottoman Empire’s ambitions to dominate the whole of the Mediterranean.
Navarino marked the end of the schemes of the Turkish-Egyptian fleet in Greece and the commencement of the prerequisites for the declaration of the Greek State’s Independence, when the Revolution was going through hardships. We know that well.
Later in WWII, Midway marked the end of the Japanese plans for domination at the Pacific and from that point forward, the tide turned in favour of the other Great Power at sea and the Pacific, the USA. That sea battle in essence turned the tide in favour of one force against the other. Therefore, the sea power absolutely and directly implies the projection of geopolitical power.
For Greeks, sea power certainly constitutes a component of our History and maritime abilities are etched in our DNA since the Trojan War in the 12th century, which in essence was a naval campaign, up until the presence and the operations of our Navy in the two World Wars. The Chiefs mentioned these occurring throughout our History, since the Classic Times up to the World Wars.
I would like to make a special mention, regarding the domination of the Hellenic Navy, its decisive contribution, to the consolidation of the domination at the Aegean Sea and the territorial expansion of the country. My birthplace, Kavala, was liberated through an ingenious ploy of the Hellenic Navy, the sense of the sea power over the enemy. They lit fires on numerous fishing boats, based on an idea and stratagem of the Hellenic Navy officers who operated, at the time, at the sea near Kavala, there at the Northern Aegean. The Bulgarians thought that a great naval force opposed them and that a landing was about to happen in the morning, so they fled the city without a single shot fired. All that was needed was a contingent of Officers and Sailors of the Hellenic Navy to march through the city and liberate Kavala. The reason was that the enemy had the impression that the sea power of Greece was definitive and there was no point resisting it.
Regarding current affairs, the daily struggle and the management of Turkish provocation at the Aegean, highlights once more, the significance of sea power, but also of the deterrent capability of the Armed Forces overall. In the Ministry of National Defence, comprehending the developments and the volatility in the international geopolitical scene, but also the security challenges in our wider region and especially at the Southeastern Mediterranean, we intensively move forward with the enhancement, development and modernisation of the Hellenic Navy in various ways. These facts are known to you.
The Hellenic Fleet, in my estimation, is rapidly transiting, with indomitable impetus, to the new era and it plays a key role in the enhancement of the sea power of Greece, with the acquisition of state-of-the-art FDI frigates, as well as other assets, the new –as was mentioned by the Chief- antisubmarine warfare helicopters MH-60 ROMEO, the imminent selection of the new corvettes (we are pretty close to that) etc, so that we can meet the operational requirements of the Hellenic Navy. Of course, I must include the modernisation of the four MEKO frigates.
Furthermore, based on our planning with the Ministry, based on the recommendations of the Chief’s plan and the recommendations of the Chiefs of General Staffs, we are already expanding the naval infrastructures in the country, at the level of the Navy (Souda), but also on other levels (Alexandroupoli), so that the domain of the sea will enjoy upgraded infrastructures, which implies the direct enhancement of the strategic, geopolitical effect of the country in the wider region.
Finally, a special mention must be made to the Hellenic Mercantile Marine. It makes Greece a sea superpower at the level of the international sea commerce. The Greek-owned commercial fleet remains the first in the world and constitutes a powerful factor, which enhances the foreign policy and reinforces the role of Greece in the international environment. That is another lever of mild power projection, but as you know, the mild power is the national power.
Our centuries-old naval history indicates the decisive contribution of the sea power in the historical evolution of Greeks. Therefore, we are all obligated to contribute, anyway we can, to the preservation and enhancement of that power.
Finally, allow me to express my most sincere congratulations to all the contributors who took that initiative. With the positions submitted by the esteemed speakers and the analyses of the individual subjects, the significance of sea power will certainly be brought to the foreground, as a national power factor, but the sea power also constitutes an invaluable part of our collective conscience -allow me to believe that- of the soul of Greece. I am looking forward with interest to the constructive conclusions of the conference. I am certain that it will be proven quite successful and that henceforth it will become an institution.
Congratulations to everybody and allow me, from this podium, to joyously declare the commencement of the 1st Sea Power Conference. Thank you for your attention”.
